Trump seeks a miracle in Dallas and promises a 5,000 dollar check if the Republicans win the midterms

WashingtonDonald Trump wanted to return to the 2024 election campaign, but time, as the poet said, takes its toll. Lee Greenwood singing "God Bless the USA". The attacks on former President Joe Biden. Even the same slogans. The American president's intervention this Thursday at dawn at the American Airlines Center in Dallas was a succession of echoes of that convention in Milwaukee, where he established himself as a mystical figure after surviving the Butler assassination attempt. At a historic peak of unpopularity, Trump has entrusted himself to that blind faith that catapulted him to power two years ago and has tied his fate to that of the Republican candidates who are playing for their seats this November.

"I ask you to pretend that I am on the ballot when you vote," the president said to a stadium that, far from being packed to the rafters as it was two years ago, was scattered with empty seats. The statement surely landed like a heavy burden on the heads of many congresspeople who, during the two days the convention is being held have already sought other occupations to avoid being infected by their leader's unpopularity. At $25,000 a ticket, the loyalty test proved extreme even for a legislator's salary. Especially after more than half a year of war in Iran. A military campaign that the president has defended again -"We had no choice"- and about which he joked that he will rename the Strait of Hormuz as "Trump's Strait".

But if mysticism did not work the miracle, Trump also has a more earthly incentive to finish convincing the undecided: 5,000 dollars. Looking into the eyes of citizens who lose more purchasing power every day, the president has assured that he will send 5,000 dollars to every citizen if the Republicans maintain control of both chambers of Congress. "So, if the Republicans win, you win with us... It will be called the Trump dividend," the president has stated. The leader has gone from promising abundance and prosperity in 2024, to now offer an economic patch. Where it will obtain the more than 1.35 trillion dollars that it is estimated it will cost, or how it will be able to implement it, is unknown.

The announcement is also a sad echo of a tactic that Trump likely took note of in 2024. The billionaire Elon Musk, by then turned into the main champion of Trumpism, raffled off a million dollars among registered voters to mobilize the conservative electorate.

Trump in a similar dilemma to Harris

Without probably being fully aware of it, Trump has found himself repeating the same campaign slogans that both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris wielded against him. Back then, when the Democrats were in power and seeking reelection, the motto was "if you don't vote for us, Trump will come." Now, the Republican intones the same refrain from the other side of the ring and points to the supposed "communist" threat: "If we lose, you will lose the border, you will lose the tax cuts, you will lose your security and protection, you will lose your wealth." The American president is no longer promising the "golden age" of the USA. He has not even made mention of the idea with which he took office in 2025 and with which he promoted his candidacy in 2024.

One of Harris's great mistakes in 2024 was the inability to promise voters real change. The vice president had the challenge of demonstrating that, despite being in power, her presidency could make a difference from the Biden administration. Now, Trump has wanted to put himself in the same dilemma when he had no need to do so - these are legislative elections - and when, in fact, some congressmen had the hope that he would not do it.

In 2024, Americans were unhappy with Biden because the country's good macroeconomic data were not translating to their homes and they decided to trust Trump's promise that he would lower the cost of living. The Republican is governing, but gasoline and food are rising. The gallon of gasoline (about 3.7 liters) is already exceeding 4.22 dollars on average, and the pound of ground beef (about 453 grams) already costs about 6.98 dollars on average. In October of last year, it had already become more expensive up to 6.23 dollars. The solution that the tycoon offers to this problem is to appropriate part of the Venezuelan oil reserves that are still to be exploited and import tons of foreign meat exempt from tariffs. A decision that has punished his rural bases even more, already drowned by the trade war and ICE raids in the countryside.

Texas, a border and rural state par excellence, became a Republican bastion in 2024. In part, this was the reason why the leader decided months ago to hold this "historic" convention in Dallas and demonstrate his strength. But the script that the Republican already had written is not the one being narrated on the screen. Two months before the elections, a young Presbyterian pastor has managed to turn the race for the Senate into a competitive contest.

Democrat James Talarico has become a real threat to the Republican candidate, Ken Paxton, who only convinces the president. In a state where Trump has managed to make "Texan" and "Democrat" almost an oxymoron, the young pastor has cast doubt on this premise. For this reason, Trump returned to defend his bet on Paxton tonight: "We must get him elected; if necessary, I will return to Texas one, two, three times... as many as it takes!".

Trump wants to believe that he retains the charisma that returned him to the White House in 2024. This early morning he demonstrated that if necessary, he can put 5,000 dollars on the table of American households. Just in case, in the end, it turns out that time has indeed taken its toll.